Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Well, we did it!
To Bob and Helen Spratley, thank you - we had a great time. Bob, I wouldn't have had this amazing experience without your warped mind thinking it up in the first place and without you to train with.
To Kilvinder, thank you for being so supportive and encouraging.
It was hard work, but beautiful and spectacular and emotional. The rest of the competitors were a great bunch and everyone supported each other.
The biggest shock for us all was not the unrelenting steep climbs, but the altitude. Some people were sick, luckily I wasn't, but breathing was a major challenge. At home training on the Buckingham foothills, Bob and I got used to drinking, talking, laughing and breathing on the run. At 12,000 feet, you have to pick ONE of those activities - to take a drink, I had to stop completely and take tiny fast sips so I didn't stop breathing for too long.
To all who have donated, thank you, too.
Between 18 and 22 October 2011, I will be running in the Himalayan Stage Race in India, running a total of 100 miles over 5 consecutive days to celebrate my retirement. I’m not quite sure how I got talked into this fantastic adventure, but I’m hoping that the spectacular scenery (the backdrop is 4 of the world’s highest mountains) will make up for the physical strain of running an average of 20 miles day after day at high altitude (up to 11,815 feet). Oh, and I hear that some of the race might be a bit hilly (can that be right?).
I give regular support to charities and have sponsored a lot of other people for events over the years, but it could be that the last time I took part in a sponsored event was with the Cubs in the early 1970s! So, I have decided to do this event for Helping Africa 100 - a small charity run by friends of ours which supports sustainable community projects in Tanzania. The projects make a massive difference to lives and help people to help themselves for years to come. This charity has no admin costs and so 100% of donations is spent helping groups like vulnerable orphans, disadvantaged teenagers and grandparents caring for orphaned children. Why not visit the Helping Africa 100 website to see and understand the brilliant work they do?
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
